


something tragic about you, something so magic about you

by paladincoolcats



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Anal Sex, Angst, Attempted Murder, Blow Jobs, Don't wanna spoil anything :), Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fighting, Fluff, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Historical Inaccuracy, I am not a history major friends, I mean let's be real Altea and Arus don't exist so, I'm doing what I want with them, Keith and Shiro are Siblings, Keith is a shirogane instead of a kogane, Light Bondage, M/M, Prince Keith (Voltron), Prince Lance (Voltron), Protective Keith (Voltron), Protective Lance (Voltron), Protective Shiro (Voltron), Rimming, Rivalary, Royalty, Slow Burn, Smut, Swordfighting, broganes, i'll tag more as i go along, kings - Freeform, she/her pronouns for pidge, technology inaccuracies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2017-06-03
Packaged: 2018-10-28 06:54:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10826082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paladincoolcats/pseuds/paladincoolcats
Summary: Keith is a prince who doesn't want to be a prince. Lance is a prince who wishes to do as he pleases. Upon a war victory, Keith all but wins Lance as a servant. It's torture for all parties involved, truly.OrThe bonding between two princes; a prince, forced to serve a prince who wants nothing to do with being a prince.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, all! This is my first shot at a chaptered fic here in the Voltron fandom, as well as my first attempt at all in the Klance area! Shoutout to my good pal [AllennellA](http://archiveofourown.org/users/AllennellA/pseuds/AllennellA) for being hecking awesome, beta-ing, and for tossing around ideas with me. U da real mvp.
> 
> Anyway, constructive criticism is always welcome, and I hope you choose to join me on this journey of princely rivalry and bonding.

Three days. The kingdoms had been at war for three days, and Keith had never felt so useless.

He wanted to be  _ out  _ there, he should have been fighting for his kingdom. Instead, he was left twiddling his thumbs and angrily prowling the castle halls. His brother Shiro was to blame, truthfully. Not for the war of course, that was their father’s doing, but rather for practically stalking Keith’s every move to keep him in the castle and out of battle.  _ Stay inside _ , his brother had said,  _ this battle is not meant for us.  _ Bullshit. Keith knew good and well that Shiro himself had planned on going into battle the instant their troops needed him. 

If Shiro went to war, Keith was going to war. So, by the afternoon on the third day, Keith was determinedly marching down the corridor toward the armory in search for his sword. He wore tight under armor, his inky hair pulled back into a loose ponytail, and he  _ hoped  _ there'd be old armor he'd be able to squeeze into in the armory. 

But of course, broad shoulders, a prosthetic arm, and a scarred and firm face blocked his path. 

“Keith, you have to learn how to be patient with these matters. We have trained men putting their lives on the line, it's our duty to fight from in  _ here.  _ We keep tabs from above the war, we call the shots that keep our men safe  just like they're keeping us safe. You're far too valuable to be out on the line like that,” Shiro crossed his arms over his chest. It was the typical older brother bullshit he often spewed. 

“If I recall correctly, I’m not an heir to the throne. That's you, and I heard you talking to father about going out there,” Keith shot back. “If I truly wanted to become a knight, it wouldn't harm  _ anything.  _ Nothing would be thrown off balance.” 

“You're right about one thing, I am heir to the throne, and as the heir I’m not going to let my baby brother get himself killed,” Shiro’s wording sounded snotty, but his voice was the trained and calm levelness it always held.  A levelness that didn't make any fucking sense to Keith. And of course, Shiro had to smooth over his display of power with his genuine feelings. “A lot of things would be thrown off balance if we lost you, Keith.”

Guilt inched its way into Keith’s chest, but he gritted his teeth to fight it back down. Worrying Shiro shouldn't have been a huge deal. Shiro was the biggest worrier he’d ever met. Yet, he had always been close with Shiro, Shiro had been there for him far more than anyone else had. Having lost their mother at a young age, Shiro had taken it upon himself to look after Keith while their father ran the kingdom. In fact, Keith could hardly remember a time when it was their mother caring for him rather than Shiro. 

They studied together, trained together; which was the reason Keith was partially  _ pissed  _ that Shiro was doubting his capabilities of fighting and staying alive. It wasn't like he planned to run straight for the front line of the enemy as he flailed his sword wildly. Keith simply had to  _ convince  _ his brother that he wasn't going to get himself killed. 

“Shiro, I could help so much better  _ on  _ the line, I could-” 

A pained grunt from down the corridor interrupted the slight bickering, and Keith spun on his heel. They were in the lower level of the castle, and servants were sparse. The only rooms on the lower levels were the prisoner cells, interrogation chambers, and of course the armory Keith had been dead set on reaching. 

However, if something far more interesting was happening from the other end of the lower level, the armory could wait. No longer was Keith’s attention set on Shiro, but rather he strode off down the way he had come, following the sounds of shuffling and muffled speaking. 

“Keith!” he heard his brother hiss in protest, but ignored Shiro in favor of breaking into a run. He could see shadows on the stone walls just around the corner, shadows that certainly didn't belong to him or Shiro, who was closing in quickly behind him. Shorter legs were always Keith’s downfall, goddamn it, but he was still slighter than Shiro was and far more capable of pushing his legs faster. 

And then he was rounding the corner, slamming into the back of none other than King Nokraz, their father. Nokraz was accompanied by two of their best guards, who were gripping a slumped over man by the collar. The stranger’s skin was dark golden, far darker than the sun could have managed. The long hair on his head and face was a startling white, and the elegant silken garments he wore proved he was far more than just a captured thief. 

In a matter of a few seconds, Shiro’s hand had clamped onto Keith’s shoulder and pulled him behind his larger frame, out of the unamused gaze of their father. The guards immediately bowed their heads in recognition. 

“Your hignesses.”

That was far more welcomed than the irritated clearing of their father’s throat. 

“Keith. Takashi,” Nokraz forced through clenched teeth. 

“Father,” Shiro nodded his head, a small display of respect for the elder man. “I was just bringing Keith down here to retrieve swords for a practice spar, and we were going to see if one of rooms were available for our use so that we weren't disturbed.”

Keith snorted, peering around Shiro’s shoulders. Even at twenty-four and twenty, Shiro was still trying his damndest to keep Keith out of trouble with their father. It was irrelevant, however, Keith paid no attention to the scowl Nokraz wore. Rather, he was thoroughly examining the well aged man whose head was hanging low. 

“You’re King Alfor, aren't you?” Keith leaned to try to meet the man’s eyes. 

He felt Shiro stiffen a bit, and their father's gaze narrowed onto Keith, “Perhaps you two should retreat back upstairs. There are plenty of places to spar there.”

Shiro seemed to agree immediately, “Come on, Keith, let's-”

The smaller boy merely ducked under his brother’s prosthetic that had taken up a protective stance in front of him, “Are you or are you not King Alfor?”

Still, the captured man didn't speak, which, truthfully irked Keith a bit. It was a simple yes or no question, and he  _ despised  _ not having his questions answered. 

“It is not of your business, Keith. Retreat back upstairs,” Nokraz insisted in a firmer tone. 

Shiro all but picked Keith up at that, dragging him away from the prisoner and therefore from what could be valuable information to hear. With his brother’s broad form following him the entire way back up the narrow and winding staircase, there wasn't a way to slip back unnoticed. 

Keith’s chamber was on the upper castle floor, a trip that generally had the servants wheezing by the middle floor. 

The young prince took it in stride, however, racing up the stairs as fast as he was able. Just, unfortunately not fast enough to out stride Shiro. The scarred nose was still poking its way into Keith’s business. 

“Keith, that was  _ foolish _ to behave like that in front of father,” Shiro proclaimed, right on Keith’s heels. 

Keith stopped so abruptly at the base of the top floor that Shiro all but crashed back down the stairwell. Which could have been amusing had it happened. 

Shiro remained upright, his brow furrowed in concern.  _ The stupid guilt was back goddamnit.  _ Keith ignored it still, siding for placing a finger on Shiro’s chest as he leaned in eye to eye. Generally Keith would have had to stand on tiptoes to avoid Shiro looking down at him, so he was rather enjoying having Shiro standing two steps lower than him. 

“Yeah, and he’ll probably rip me a new one for it later. I  _ really  _ don't need you to scold me, too.” 

Keith removed his finger to try to flaunt away, but Shiro couldn't take the fucking hint. His brother seemed to be following Keith straight to his bedchamber, “Just hold on, I’m sorry. I was just trying to keep you out of hot water but that's not why I’m following you. I'm  _ following  _ because I wanted to confirm your suspicions.”

“Suspicions that you're an ass?” Keith called over his shoulder. 

Shiro scoffed, finally grabbing Keith’s elbow, “There was a plan to capture King Alfor that went underway this morning. Obviously, it was successful.”

“ _ I fucking knew it,”  _ Keith’s violet eyes flashed with excitement. Shiro was glancing around nervously, as if worried that someone had overheard the information, but then he was using his larger form in his favor as he herded Keith through the closest wooden door. 

It happened to be Keith's washroom, open space and echoey stone floors and walls. The wide space was occupied by the massive marble bath basin against the far wall, and the white plush rug that Keith secretly enjoyed to sprawl naked on to dry off, read, and avoid whatever his father had planned for him. 

Shiro shut the door tight behind them, and Keith was already grinning wildly. There wasn't even time to feel irritated at being shoved around by his tough guy brother, the smugness of being right was far more prevalent. Keith felt like he was twelve again and being told a story as he waited eagerly for Shiro to share all he knew. 

“I'm going to have to go meet with father soon, so I’ll have to make this quick,” Shiro’s tone was hushed, and Keith leaned in to listen. “You're correct about that being Alfor of Altea. Father’s plan is to end the war abruptly through his capture. I'm not sure all of what he plans to claim from this victory, but I know he wishes to unite Altea and Arus.” 

“He doesn't… he doesn't plan to kill him, right?” 

“Gods, no, that would cause more harm than good,” Shiro confirmed, his voice jumping a few octaves. 

Keith nodded, but judging by Shiro’s hidden alarm, it had been a suggestion of their father’s, no doubt. It gave him the inkling that Nokraz had wanted to kill Alfor, but Shiro had talked him out of it. His brother had a great heart, would without a doubt be the best king when he finally obtained the crown.  

“By uniting Altea and Arus, father is after their farmland, isn't he?” 

Shiro’s lips quirked up proudly, “You're always quick to catch on. Yeah, basically. The land across the river isn't as rocky as here, he wants access to it. Eventually he wants rule over it all, which would require two heirs to… wed. Which is where I come into play?” 

Keith’s eyes narrowed, “Are you okay with that?”

Protectiveness ran strong between the Shirogane brothers, and if Nokraz was forcing Shiro to wed, Keith would have had to intervene. There was a reason Keith was the least favorite, and it wasn't just because he lacked height and his older brother’s muscle. It  _ might  _ have been based more around the fact that Keith wanted nothing to do with the crown or ruling. 

Shiro’s prosthetic lifted to scratch sheepishly at the back of his head, “Well… yeah. It was kind of my idea. The heir of Altea is Princess Allura and she's… yeah.”

There was no recollection of this Princess Allura, or any child of Alfor for that matter, in Keith’s mind. But judging by the flushed look on his brother’s face, Shiro was smitten. 

“ _ Yeah, she's yeah,  _ huh?” Keith snickered.

“Whatever,” Shiro’s scar darkened with the rest of his face, something that only happened when he was extremely embarrassed. “But father is also planning on making Alfor suffer. He's going to claim its the first step in uniting the kingdom, but he wants to bring one of the younger princes or princesses to work for us. For me, actually, but… I don't really need a servant, I have Matt.”

Keith wouldn't exactly call a servant. The small blond boy was a year older than Keith, and before Shiro he had lacked any form of muscle. If anything, he was Shiro’s trainee and best friend. Rarely did Shiro actually give Matt some form of order, so he was free to roam the castle or visit his sister in the castle library. 

“He wants a sibling of your future wife to work for you?” Keith arched a brow. 

“Exactly. The Princess will already despise me at first for this, I’m thinking, so I want to become friends with her before we marry and take the crown. We don't need to make it worse by making a younger sibling of her work for me, but father has his mind set. So I told him to let you choose.” 

Ah yes. The irritation from earlier was back. Shiro knew  _ very  _ well Keith’s opinion on ruling. There was a reason he didn't have a servant already. He refused to take orders, but he also despised giving someone  _ else  _ orders. 

“No.” 

“Please just… do it. Matt is one of my closest friends, y’know? When I'm King I’m worried that we’ll have less time together, and if you don't have someone else you’ll-”

“First of all, don’t assume you're my only friend,” Keith crossed his arms over his chest. “Second of all, I don't  _ want  _ someone else. I'll be a part of the infantry soon enough anyway and-” 

A prosthetic hand was suddenly seizing his shoulder, “No you  _ won't _ . Just because I’ll be king doesn't mean you're going to become irrelevant. I need you, as my brother and prince, Keith, not my knight. Now, you're going to go choose a servant or I'll choose for you.” 

Keith wasn't even allotted time to argue further. Shiro had released him with a set expression and strode out of the washroom.  _ Fucking asshole.  _ He left Keith with little choice. If Keith didn't choose, Shiro would choose one of the sweetest, kindest people and leave Keith with an obnoxiously decent servant that he’d never be able to escape from. No, that wouldn't do. Keith needed someone who was going to hate his fucking guts. 

☼

The plan was a success. Alfor had conceded. Arus rightfully claimed the lush and green grassland across the river. It was vastly different from the blue rock their land held, the rock that only seemed to sprout flowers. Altea had rolling hills full of rich soil and bubbling streams perfect for irrigating. 

Apart from the newly acquired land, Shiro was allotted a meeting, heavily guarded from both sides, with the heir of the Altean crown, Princess Allura. She wouldn't be joining them in Arus until it was certain that no harm would come to the heir. 

Keith had only caught a slight glance of her through the armed guards that surrounded her, but he could tell she had her father’s vibrant white hair and browned skin. Keith had his own set of guards that accompanied he and his father to the throne room where Alfor had requested his children line up in a row for Keith’s examining. 

There'd been quite a bit of tension, considering Alfor had been returned to Altea from being shoved around in shackles. He certainly had not been treated like the royalty he was, or rather, the royalty he would be losing. 

His children genuinely had acquired most of his looks. All had the dark skin, but some had mousy brown locks rather than the intense white. Even so, they were all rather attractive in appearance. Keith found himself… less interested in women than men, but he recognized the elegance of the princesses, and although he had yet to get a good look at the heir’s face, he understood what had his brother so flustered. 

“These… are my other seven children,” King Alfor sighed heavily. “They are far more valuable than the land you also received, and I expect them to be treated as so. Once they are in your possession, they are yours to use as you wish, of course… just know that if they are harmed, Altea will not hesitate to-”

“They won't be harmed,” King Nokraz interrupted. “Keith. Choose.” 

It felt impossible to choose when Keith knew absolutely nothing about the royalty before him. The throne room seemed significantly smaller than their own back in Arus, and the six children and teens that glowered from where they stood afront their father’s throne certainly made the space seem far more occupied.  _ Wait, six? _

Keith broadened his stance just as Shiro had taught him to do when avoiding someone who planned to overpower him, his words steady and firm, “You said there were seven children, not including Princess Allura. She is with my brother of course, but there's another missing as well.”

King Alfor’s face remained blank, “Is that so?”

“There's only six. Where is the seventh?” Keith insisted. 

“What is one less to choose from? We can continue without.”

As if on cue, a side door of the throne room swung open, and the boy that walked in approximately two meters away immediately had all of Keith’s attention. 

“Good morning, Fa…” the boy, though starting out cheerful, trailed off, his eyes narrowing at the scene before him. 

“That one. I want him.” 

There were startled and confused noises from the other royalty, but Keith wasn't listening, far too distracted by the newcomer. The boy was all legs, tall and slight. He wore a blue, long sleeved skinsuit that was tailored for all of the muscle is body  _ did  _ possess. Delicate gold thread was embellished up the body of the suit, and the shining black boots he wore came at least to his lengthy mid thigh. But his face, oh his face. He was the bronze color of all his siblings, but without a doubt had the best looks. A slender nose, angled cheekbones with a slim but sharp jaw. His hair was a chocolate brown rather than mousy, and although short and well kept, it had a wave to it that looked downy soft. If perfection had a fucking name…

“Perhaps you'll reconsider, Prince, there are surely other-”

“Pardon?” the Altean boy cocked a well kept eyebrow. His long arms crossed over his chest. “Father, who are these unfortunate bunch of halfwits?”

Keith’s heart rate elevated. What a fucking  _ prick. _ “Yeah. He's the one. I want him.”

“Lance,” Alfor sighed heavily, his face pained. “You're just in time. You've been chosen to return to Arus with-” 

Lance held up a hand, an act that had Keith blanching. If he dared interrupt his father he’d have been struck down immediately, “I believe I’ll pass on that one. Catch you later, Papa dearest.” 

And with that, Lance was bounding across the room and propelling himself up onto a windows ledge where he gave the rose colored glass a firm push, and promptly jumped out of sight. In a moment of bewilderment,  _ because his servant was escaping _ , Keith mindlessly slipped free of his father and guards, and darted after the other boy. 

However, he learned quite quickly upon flinging himself out of the window after Lance that the throne room was  _ not  _ on ground level. Once he thought about it, he did indeed remember climbing a flight of stairs. Thankfully he didn't crash on to hard earth and shatter every bone in his body, but rather found himself tangled up in a soft hay pile.  And sprinting up the hill just in front of him, was his newly acquired, and escaping, servant. 

“Stop!” he demanded, scrambling out of the hay and bolting after the boy. After  _ Lance.  _ He had honestly chosen the worst time to wear his unbreathable red tunic and cloak. With a sturdy yank to the ruby brooch at his throat, he let his cloak fly off behind him as he sprinted after the boy in blue. He couldn't let the unnecessary fabric hold him back. 

Lance, being slight  _ and  _ long legged, certainly had the advantage. He was a fast little shit, but Keith’s adrenaline and irritation pushed him faster. As Keith breached the top of the hill, he spotted Lance’s destination. A large grey barn rested at the bottom, without a doubt equipped with some sort of getaway horse Lance had plotted to leap upon. 

But gravity worked in Keith’s favor. He tackled Lance just short of the hill bottom, the momentum sending them both tumbling the rest of the way, hands shoving and tugging at fabric and hair. After a bit of a tussle, Keith ended up with his hands pinning slender shoulders onto the green grass. The elegant blue bodice Lance wore was grass stained, and there was a huge smudge of dirt across the angrily furrowed brow. 

“Who the  _ hell _ , are you?!” Lance shrieked, clawing at Keith’s arms until Keith caught and shoved those down as well. He tried not to show it, but he was struggling to keep Lance pinned as the boy thrashed and squirmed. “I'm your prince, you shitface,  _ releas _ e  _ me!” _

“Wrong,” Keith grunted, shoving Lance down with all his might. “I’m  _ your _ prince. I own you now.” 

Lance immediately spit into Keith’s face, and just as Keith reared a hand back to smack the boy, he was seized up and off of him. 

“Prince Lance!” a voice cried. 

“ _ Keith!”  _

Another set of hands yanked him from the first as Keith watched a guard help a fuming Lance to his feet. He glanced behind him to the unamused face of his father and King Alfor. He tugged free from the guard that held him, dusting himself off unashamedly. 

“Arrest him!” Lance was still practically shrieking. “He's delusional or demon possessed, the idiot-”

“Lance…” Alfor cleared his throat. “This is King Nokraz and Prince Keith from Arus. Upon our recent defeat in the war, the only way to lengthen our rule of the kingdom and prevent future war was to create a deal. In time, Allura will be wed to the heir Prince Shiro. And as for the present… you have been chosen to join Prince Keith back in Arus. I'm sorry, my son. You'll be working for him.”

An array of emotions flashed across the handsome face of the blue prince; confusion, anger, betrayal. But livid blue eyes eventually landed on Keith, “I will  _ not  _ work for him.” 

Lance seemed prepared to bolt again, but his own guards carefully gripped his arms after a slight nod from Alfor, “Forgive me. Your belongings are being packed as we speak.” 

Pink lips, not that Keith was eying them, parted in disbelief. The angry blue eyes glanced around wildly, still hunting for an escape, but Keith’s own guards stepped up to escort the boy. 

“You are all  _ disgusting _ , keep your hands off of me,” he snapped. “I refuse to work for someone with a  _ mullet,  _ I’m a prince goddamn it!” 

Keith could still hear the boy angrily protesting even as the Arusian guards assisted him over the hill the princes had wrestled down. Nokraz was silent, but Alfor spoke

up quietly. 

“I'm trusting you will treat him with respect, Prince Keith. If it is a servant that you are after, Lance was the worst choice you could have made.”

Which, choosing a terrible servant had kind of been the plan. Keith pressed his lips firmly together as he fought to keep his face blank.

Alfor retreated after Lance with his own guards then, leaving two Arusian guards, Keith, and his father still standing at the bottom.

“That was foolish,” his father hissed lowly. “Don't disgrace me in that manner again.”

Keith wasn't ashamed in the slightest. Excitement was bubbling in his throat instead, and the entire walk back, despite his father grilling into him about princely etiquette, angry blue eyes were the sole thing on his mind. 

☼

It has been twelve hours since Keith had last seen Lance. Lance ended up with guards in a separate carriage on the long trek back through the grasslands of Altea and into rocky Arus, and Keith was with Shiro and their father. Both of whom discussed the princess, plans for the new land, and Keith’s new servant. 

When they finally reached the castle, the moon was low in the sky, showing dawn would be approaching soon. Lance was being shown to the servants wing he’d be staying in, and Keith wasn't even capable of following. Instead, Shiro stopped him outside of the castle with a frown.  _ Here we go.  _

“Father told me that you slipped the guards and went after Prince Lance yourself,” Shiro motioned to Keith’s dirty garment. “You could have been killed, you know.” 

“Don't be dramatic,” Keith snorted at his brother. He literally just wanted to go inside and see how Lance was taking everything in. 

“I'm not the one who  _ chased _ someone down. You jumped out a  _ window. _ ”

At that Shiro leaned back a bit to look Keith over, almost as if he were checking for injuries despite it being over half a day later. Keith rolled his eyes. 

“I wouldn't have chased him if he hadn't’ve ran. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go see what the guards did with my servant.” 

“The servant you didn't want…” Shiro snickered, but he followed Keith as he headed over the stony path toward the large castle entrance. “Don't think you're getting away with being careless. I told father I’d do heavy training with you tomorrow for punishment… but you might be able to convince me into light training and talking about my meeting with the Princess of Altea.” 

Which, Keith was indeed interested in hearing about. His brother had  _ never  _ shown much interest in having a romantic relationship before, and Keith was excited for him. He hoped their meeting had gone better than his meeting with Prince Lance. 

Shiro gave his hair a quick ruffle, eliciting a growl from the younger boy, and then his older brother was departing off to meet their father in the throne room, his hands clasped behind his back. 

Holy shit, Keith was free to do what he pleased at last, and what he  _ pleased  _ to do was navigate through the dim corridors to the servant stairwell. The Arusian castle was three levels high, four if the underbelly of it all was counted. Granted, most of the underground were tunnels leading out to safety in case of emergency, and the two single corridors that held the armory, prison chamber, and interrogation cells. 

The servant’s floor happened to be on the second level, while the royal’s floor was the third, and the main areas of the castle such as the great hall, throne room, kitchen, and dining hall were on the ground level. The second story window was a much greater height to fall from than back in Altea, much less likely for Lance to survive a jump out of it. 

The second floor was vacant, but the servants would be rising within the hour most likely. It was only a matter of time before morning light would fill the shadows near the castle windows. There was, however, a few guards standing outside one of the servant doors; a telltale sign that it had been chosen as Lance’s room. 

While most of the servants shared their bedchambers, he assumed Lance had gotten his own. For the time being, that was. 

As Keith approached the guards, they shared looks of surprise to see the young prince, but allowed him to slip past them with only a mere bow of respect. 

The way Keith barged into the room was far from a princely manner. But fuck manners, honestly. The shithead prince had spit in his face before; manners were no longer required. 

A startled yelp escaped a shirtless Lance from where he was facing away from the door in the furthest corner, sorting through a leather bag of his belongings. It gave Keith quite the view of his backside; not his ass, Keith had dignity, but the bronze skin, smooth and soft looking aside from a small scar on his left shoulder. And fuck, speaking of shoulders, Lance’s were freckled and gorgeous. 

“You guards better have a damn good reason for being perverts-” Lance whipped around, a scowl plastered on his lovely face. Keith had honestly meant to say something, give Lance an order or a command, but he only ended up staring at the collarbones that could fucking cut  _ diamonds.  _ “- _ You.  _ I told the guards I never wanted your stupid mullet near me again.”

Keith subconsciously touched his hair.  _ It wasn't a mullet, what the fuck.  _ “You aren't in charge of the guards. You're under my command.” 

“I'm reeeeally not,” Lance’s nose scrunched, and he turned away from Keith to go back to digging through his bag. That bastard. 

“I'm your prince,” Keith tried to demand, but truthfully he was never any decent at forcing authority without using violence as a tactic. He figured it might be slightly frowned upon to stab Lance. Not a fatal stab or anything, just like… in the finger? “You have to do as I say.”

“Nah, I don't think I want to,” Lance wasn't even  _ looking  _ at him, and it was really pissing Keith off. His hand drifted to his lower back where he almost always wielded his small knife. He may not have  _ wanted  _ to be a prince, but it didn't mean he was going to let himself be walked all over by another. 

Rather than charging for the blue prince with his knife, he marched forward with a determination to grab the slender elbow of the other boy and yank him face to face. Only… two things proceeded as so, and none of which Keith could have predicted. 

One, Lance tossed some sort of shoe over his shoulder, striking Keith in the face. 

Two, the Altean prince used the distraction as his opportunity to pounce. Quite literally. 

All Keith could see were limbs as Lance whirled around and sprung forward, crashing knees first into Keith and sending both of them sprawling onto the hard stone floor. Keith thought he made some sort of garbled interpretation of “Fuck off” and “Get off of me”, but in reality he shouted, “Fuck me!”

It certainly threw Lance for a loop judging by the blanching look he gave Keith, “Uh… I know i'm irresistibly handsome, but I hate you, so...”

“Not what I meant! Get  _ off,  _ what the hell are you doing? You can't tackle a prince!”

“If I remember correctly, you tackled me first, and I'm a prince, too. Karma is a bitch, Prince Mullet.” 

Keith tried his damndest to shove Lance off, but he no longer had the upper hand of pinning Lance first. Fuck the taller boy and his stupid larger body. Just, not literally. Even if Lance was shirtless. And really firm to the touch under Keith’s hands. Keith curled his hands around narrow wrists and squeezed. 

“It's  _ Keith.  _ Now get the fuck off of me before I call my guards.” 

He really wouldn't do that, of course. He'd sooner be mauled by a bear than call his guards to come to his rescue. Asking for help wasn't his forte. Instead, he thrashed to the best of his ability, trying to shove Lance off.

“I’m not afraid of your guards,” Lance rolled his blue eyes. Lashes as thick as his should have been a crime. Keith would mention that to Shiro. However, Lance climbed off. “There. I just wanted to set the score so you didn’t think you were such a tough guy for tackling me earlier. Yesterday?” 

Keith rolled up and off the floor, his fists clenched. Lance seemed far more stab-worthy than he had a few moments prior. Still, Lance easily could have injured him with the way he pinned him down, and yet he hadn’t.

“I wouldn’t have tackled you if you had’nt’ve jumped out your window and ran. Whatever. Jump out of this window and I won't even have to tackle you again because you’ll break your stupid neck.”

“My neck is quite intelligent, thank you,” Lance declared, snatching up the shoe he had previously thrown. “Anyway, can you like… leave now? I’m tired and it takes beauty sleep to look this good.” 

Keith pinched the bridge of his nose. Lance’s egotistical view on his own attractiveness made it difficult for Keith to agree that he was attractive, “You… fine. But I’m going to have to give you some orders eventually so rest up while you can. Like it or not, I’m in charge.” 

“If you say so...” Lance flashed a grin full of white teeth. God damn it. “ _ Prince Mullet.”  _

Keith had to spin on his heel and leave the shirtless, and stupidly gorgeous, boy standing alone in the room before he mindlessly pulled a knife on him. He’d known Lance for a prompt thirteen hours, and they already irritated the shit out of each other. Things were most definitely going to plan. He  _ loved  _ hating the golden prince with the blue eyes, loved  _ being  _ hated. He had picked the best damn “servant” yet. And he had a feeling that, the more time they spent together, they’d only end up loving to hate each other more. Fucking take that Shiro. Servants be damned.  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> please calm down, knifey boi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, friends! Sorry this update took so long for me to get out! The overall goal was to update this fic once a week, but it might end up being like... once every other week? I'll try! Because not only do I write, but I also have the lovely allen2nella beta-ing for me! And we both unfortunately have lives that drag us away from Klance sometimes. Anyway. Here is this! I hope you enjoy. c:

One week in the god forsaken Arusian castle filled Lance in on a lot of things. Firstly, no one in the castle believed in sleep. The bed and pillows felt like literal straw stuffed into cloth, and if he  _ did  _ sleep, someone would barge into his room and demand he get up and help with chores. Because, you know, fuck manners, knocking on doors was for the weak. 

Secondly, Prince Mullet was a damn cryptid. Lance had spotted him once, maybe twice, since the first night (morning?) of his arrival. Funny how he was supposed to be serving the guy, and yet he was ending up serving everyone else. Keith would apparently check in on him with the others, however, and make sure he was at least being useful and doing servant-y things. There could only be one asshole prince in the castle, evidently, and Mullet was determined to take that literal crown. 

Cleaning also meant Lance couldn't dress as nice as he usually preferred to. Fashion was his  _ thing _ . He simply borrowed an ugly tan and linen shirt that laced up the front, accompanied with black trousers. And he'd worn them for  _ five days in a row.  _ Truthfully, Lance had been far too exhausted and distracted to even care. He missed his bed. He missed his family. And he missed not having to scrub horse shit off of the castle floor. Honestly, what sort of lowlife even tracked that in? 

The war his kingdom had lost hadn't worried him at first. Their defenses were strong, and he had high faith that his people would stand tall against the asshole kingdom. There had always been rumors that the Arusian’s were giant, malicious, purple cat like creatures, but Lance had yet to see a single person with fur in the new land. It was pretty disappointing. 

Regardless, things  _ had  _ been going in their favor until his father had been taken. That… that had shaken him up a bit. It had shaken all of them up. But his father had returned safe. Bruised and really pissed off, but safe. There'd been a small emergency meeting with his siblings and mother while Lance’s father, King Alfor, explained what would be happening. Allura, Lance’s eldest, was going to be courted by Takashi Shirogane of Arus. Their kingdoms would be united by the heirs being crowned together.

Great. Swell. Lance could have lived with that. He  _ hadn't _ , however, been informed that he was going to be chosen by a fluffy haired shithead and plucked away from his home literally an hour later. That  _ might  _ have been his fault for slipping out of the meeting as soon as he realized they weren't all doomed, but he'd had at least three quarts of water after a chili pepper eating contest with his younger brother Ricardo, and he  _ really  _ had to piss. 

Even so, he would have ended up chosen anyway had he been waiting in line, damn his good looks. The only method of truly avoiding  _ Prince Keith  _ would have been to not show up at all, and that would have meant one of his younger siblings would have been chosen. They were all under seventeen, and Lance… he didn't want them sleeping on straw beds and scrubbing floors. If a child of King Alfor had to be taken… he was glad that he was the one. It didn't mean he was going to be pleasant, though. He hadn't even gotten to say  _ goodbye  _ to any his brothers and sisters. Only his mother and his father, and his mother had clung to him, crying, for so long that he nearly started to bawl as well. But he didn't. He’d been taking everything like a goddamn champ, if he did say so himself. 

“Lance,” Margaret, one of the servants, snapped her fingers in front of Lance’s face where he was absentmindedly dipping a rag into a bucket. She was in her mid thirties and had been the one that all but dragged Lance bleary eyed from the bed each morning. He was half tempted to smack her with the wet towel and bolt.

Instead, he smiled pleasantly, “ _ Prince  _ Lance.”

“Not here, you're not,” she scoffed. “Get up and come with me. Prince Takashi has requested your service.”

That certainly intrigued Lance. As far as he knew, he hadn't met this  _ Takashi  _ yet. But if this guy planned to court Lance’s sister, Lance didn't plan on going easy on him. Especially if he was anything like  _ mullet.  _

Margaret led him down a corridor just outside the great hall, unlocking a large wooden door with a set of keys she carried in her dress pocket. The room inside was dim aside from the light pouring in from a window… a window on ground floor. A quick examination, however, told Lance that the window was gated over. His bottom lip stuck out in a pout. 

“This room looks like a prison cell.” 

“If you really want me to show you one of those, I can,” she huffed. “Now just wait here for his highness and don't cause any trouble.”

_ Wherever  _ would she have come up with the idea that Lance was a trouble maker? It certainly couldn't’ve been his work etiquette the past week… or the way he had tried a new hiding spot in the castle each day to avoid the duties she assigned him. Somehow she always found him, the sly woman. 

She stared at him for several moments, but wordlessly she finally spun around and marched back out of the room. Lance sighed heavily, looking around at the stone walls. It was clearly some sort of storage room, filled with chairs and tables all tucked against the far wall. Rugs were rolled up and laid out neatly on the floor. If he  _ really  _ wanted to, Lance figured he could squeeze into one of them and go unnoticed. But he also really wanted to meet this  _ Prince Takashi.  _

So instead of trying to squeeze his long body into a hiding spot, he went to sit on the stone windowsill. He couldn't even open the glass and breathe in fresh air. It was mid-July and he'd been cooped up in a musty castle. Hadn't they ever heard of airing out their rooms?

Outside the castle there wasn't even any  _ grass.  _ It was all rock, dark blue and saddening to look at. What did they feed livestock if there wasn't soil for crops? The only positive things were the light blue flowers sprouting from the rock here and there. 

The door creaking open across the room had Lance’s attention snapping away from the outside. Lance’s heart immediately spasmed a bit. 

He wasn't afraid of the Arusian guards. Nor was he afraid of the servants or the mullet prince. But the broad shouldered man that walked through the door looked like he could snap Lance’s neck with his  _ pinky.  _ He wore black and grey skin tight under armor, and a belt around his waist sheathing what appeared to be some sort of blade. 

Dark hair, cut to the scalp at the sides but lengthy at the top with a white forelock, only gave the impression that this guy didn't fuck around.  _ He’d probably seen some shit _ . If the scar across the bridge of the man's nose didn't confirm Lance’s suspicion that the guy had been through a fuck ton, the lack of a legitimate arm-  a robotic prosthetic in its place- clued him in. 

Despite it all, Lance was… mildly impressed. The man was  _ handsome.  _ Granted, Lance had a weakness for men that could kill him. Or… just people in general that could kill him. 

“Prince Lance?” the man spoke, and fuck, he was respectful  _ and  _ hot. 

“Well, hello. Looks like I've found myself a tall drink of water,” Lance purred, standing and stretching languidly. “What's the name, handsome?”

The man’s face immediately twisted from curious to unamused. He pressed a knuckle of his prosthetic hand over his lips for a minute, seemingly at a loss for words. Finally, he shut his eyes with a heavy sigh, “Prince Takashi Shirogane.” 

Oh what the fuck. Lance quite literally choked, “Christ on a donkey, how- you're Mullet’s older brother? You're  _ courting my sister?  _ You are  _ not  _ Takashi Shirogane.” 

Lance threw all concern of being massacred by the hulking man aside. He absolutely needed a closer look. The supposed prince of Arus leaned back in surprise as Lance strode right up and prodded at the thick muscle of his arm.  _ How? _

“I'm the one and only…  _ excuse  _ me, but what are you doing?”

“How are you related to the mullet?! I mean, I guess he has good looks like you but he's… and you're…”

“What?”

“You look like you're going to rip out of that shirt at any moment and punch me in the face, and your brother is like… small? Not muscled.” Nice description, Lance. Spot on. 

“Punch you in the-?” the man’s fake arm ran down his face. “Let's start over. I'm Prince Takashi, but feel free to call me Shiro, if you wish. Prince Keith  _ is  _ my brother, and despite his size and appearance,  _ he's _ the one that you'll need to shield your face from.”

Prince Shiro seemed genuine enough. The corners of his mouth had quirked up, making him even more unfairly handsome. But fuck, if the guy was related to his newest rival, if Shiro was trying to marry his  _ sister-. _

“Shiro, then?” Lance crossed his arms firmly over his chest. “You skipped over the part where you're the one courting my sister. We need to talk.” 

Shiro gave a chuckle at that, but it wasn't mocking. Everything about the larger man simply seemed… kind and warm. 

“Sure. I was going to bring you to spar with Prince Keith. He's hardly socialized with you.” Shiro pushed the door to the room wider and beckoned for Lance to follow. 

“Hold on…” Lance narrowed his eyes. “You're letting me go after your brother with a sword?” 

“I had planned to, yes,” Shiro continued patiently. Lance admired that, but it was also so tempting to try to  _ test _ Shiro’s patience. “He can hold his own. You'll see. And I’ll be supervising, so…” 

Reluctantly, Lance slipped past Shiro’s broad chest and stood in the corridor to wait as Shiro closed the door to the storage room. Despite having been forced to clean a lot of the castle, Lance admittedly had no clue where they could train. The damn castle was so dark and gloomy that almost all the rooms seemed similar. 

Shiro took up the lead, however, not even glancing back to make sure Lance followed. The man just kind of  _ assumed  _ Lance wasn't going to hightail it away and hide, and it was actually a bit flattering that he was being trusted. It made him… actually want to continue following Shiro. 

However, he began to grow a little skeptical when they headed downstairs into what seemed like a dungeon or a prison. Granted, he wasn't about to show that he was nervous. 

“So, what are your plans with my sister?” Lance forced out casually, his nose scrunching up at the musty and damp smell the stone walls were beginning to emit. The Altean castle had an underground of course, but not one people willingly  _ went  _ into. Just one people were generally forced into. For the rest of their lives. 

“A fair question,” Shiro hummed, stopping and using a candle a few stairs away to relight a candle near them that had burnt out. “I truly want to get to know her, show her that I'm someone she can trust and confide in. I don't plan on trying to rule her, I want her to rule by my side… if she’ll have me. Your sister is very lovely.” 

Lance’s eyes narrowed on Shiro’s back as they began moving again. 

“Yeah, yeah, you better not just be saying that to get on my good side. My sister is a fucking  _ Princess.  _ If you hurt her or make her upset, I’ll have to fight you,” Lance warned. 

Unfortunately his threat was dampened as he tripped over his own boot lace and toppled forward down the last few stairs and into Shiro’s firm back. 

“Jesus, are you-” Lance felt Shiro twist awkwardly to pull Lance back to his feet, but there was suddenly an angry shout, and Shiro was no longer in front of him. Instead, he was abruptly pinned to the hard stone wall, a candle burning directly by his head, and a sharp knife blade pressed under his chin. 

“ _ How dare you attack my brother!”  _

Ah. Mullet. That motherfucker. 

“Keith, no.”

“ _ Keith, no!”  _ Lance repeated Shiro’s words, scowling as he wrapped a hand around the wrist holding the knife. It was difficult to get a good look at Keith when the boy was so close to his face; he was actually so close that Lance could have kissed him. Or bitten him. Either could be fun options, Lance wasn't entirely sure. 

“I saw him, Shiro, he was jumping you from behind!” Keith insisted, yanking out of Lance’s grip. Lance didn't mind much, it'd gotten the knife away from his throat. “I was coming to look for you because you said we’d be training, and it's a good thing I did if-”

Shiro slid slowly between Keith and Lance, hand guiding Keith’s knife back to the boy’s belt sheath. Keith allowed it to happen, but he still eyed Lance wearily, stole glances at Shiro as if making sure he truly was unharmed, “I retrieved Lance to spar with you thinking he could be a fair opponent. He wasn't trying to attack me, he tripped and fell on the last few steps. He isn't even armed.”

“I'd say I’m very armed compared to you!” Lance tried, giving a half-hearted chuckle as he held up both his hands. “Get it? Cause I have two arms and like… technically you only have one arm.”

Shiro sighed heavily, turning his gaze to the ceiling as Keith blanched. His violet eyes suddenly seeming so dark in the poorly lit stairwell. But then Keith was ripping his knife back out, “You son of a bitch, how dare you!”

Before Keith could lunge around Shiro and stab Lance, the eldest prince grabbed both boys by the wrist and began dragging them down the hallway like children, “You're  _ both  _ being ridiculous- Keith, put  _ away  _ the knife. Instead of fighting here in the hallway, why don't you just spar like I was trying to get you to do in the first place?”

“You're just going to let the arm comment slide?” Keith hissed, glaring around Shiro at Lance. Despite Shiro being between them, Keith truly did seem like he was going to force his way around the eldest prince and wrap his hands around Lance’s throat. And not even in a kinky way. Keith seemed  _ pissed.  _  “It was rude and uncalled for.”

“That's true, but it was clever, so… yeah. I'm gonna let it slide,” Shiro huffed, using his foot to push open a door in the long hallway they walked down. Lance stuck his tongue out at Keith, which only earned him another snarl. Keith’s nose was kind of cute when it scrunched up. Like a little kitten. Despite the kitten like behavior, Lance  _ maybe  _ did feel slightly threatened. Very rarely did someone truly look like they wanted to spill his blood.

“Besides, I totally respect that you have a metal arm. I can only imagine the damage you can inflict. How did you get it? Like, how'd you lose your arm?” 

Lance realized it was probably too forward of a question, but he was feeling wildly nervous, and when he was nervous, his brain to mouth filter was nonexistent. However, Shiro’s gaze flickered to Keith, which made Lance glance over as well. The raven haired boy had gone silent, almost paler than his usual milky skin color, and was looking away from them both. It only panicked Lance more. Where had the fight gone? Lance didn’t  _ like  _ the look Keith wore. Defeated, almost agonized? Lance couldn’t place it, he just knew he never wanted to see it again. He’d much rather prefer Keith going for his throat.

“That's, uh… a story for another time,” Shiro said softly. “No big deal, or anything.” 

“Um. Sorry?” Lance murmured, genuine despite his questioned tone. 

“It's fine,” Shiro assured, releasing both their wrists and giving a ruffle to Mullet Boy’s hair. Lance wanted to try messing up Keith’s hair too if it would bring the bickering back, but he valued all of his fingers. The younger prince always seemed quick to go for his knife. “Let's just get to sparring before Keith and I are needed for other matters.”

☼

Shiro hadn't been kidding when he said Keith could hold his own. Lance’s shoulders  _ hurt  _ from how hard Keith’s sword knocked against his _.  _ At Shiro’s request, they'd suited up in protective padding before going at each other with  _ genuine  _ swords. It wasn't like Lance hadn't sparred before, because he had, but he was used to a sword fitted specifically for him. All of his options were either swords too short for him or swords that were incredibly heavy and difficult to manage. 

Keith didn't seem to cut Lance slack because of this. In fact, the boy seemed to  _ purposely  _ be far more vicious than necessary. That was probably what he deserved for being a shithead and pissing Keith off. The fire was back in the boy, his brow furrowed determinedly, his cheeks slightly red, and his hair was pulled back into a surprisingly attractive ponytail. Lance had already knew since he could remember that he was a fan of men, although sometimes frowned upon by the other royals, and women. But if he  _ hadn’t  _ liked both, Keith could probably make him question his sexuality. Keith’s insides just didn’t seem as sweet as his outsides, so… slight turn off for Lance. He still hated Keith. Probably.

Somehow, despite his aching biceps and shoulders, and after a loss of three spars, Lance knocked Keith flat onto his back with a quick jab to the abdomen from his swords obnoxiously long handle. 

“Easy, Lance!” Shiro intervened almost immediately as Keith sat up with a glare, scooping back up his sword in a white knuckled grip. 

“Shiro said no actual stabbing!”

Lance snorted, offering Keith a hand up, “And so I didn't stab you, Prince Mullet.”

Keith looked to Shiro for backup, but the oldest prince only shrugged, “I suppose he's not lying. I watched, he did make sure to keep the blade well away from you.” 

“It was an unfair move, and therefore he loses this round, too,” Keith said firmly, his eyes flickering to Lance as if daring him to protest. So, of course Lance had to, still offering the boy his hand.

He laughed as Keith gradually accepted the hand up, grumbling the entire way, “Just face it. I kicked your ass. We should fight  _ without  _ swords and see who's the best then.”

Keith’s eyes narrowed, and he stepped forward to plant a single finger on Lance’s chest, “It’s still going to be me. Anyway, if we’re done sparring then I don't need your service anymore. You can go back to helping whoever.”

Oh. Right. Lance wasn’t a prince sparring another prince, he was a fucking _servant._ He was just someone to be waved off with a flick of Keith’s hand, evidently. His smile fizzled off his face, and he immediately pulled off the protective padding he wore to dump it carelessly on the ground. 

“Sure thing,  _ your Mulletness. _ I forgot I was just another castle maid. _ ”  _

Keith refused to meet his gaze, staring down at the floor, but Shiro nudged his brother before Lance could exit the room, “Just because you don't need his assistance doesn't mean he should go to someone else. You've been making Lance clean this entire week that he's been here?” 

Lance scowled, standing close to the door in case he needed to storm out in a dramatic fashion. He was the best damn tantrum thrower there was, and he prided himself on it, “He hasn't been, no. He's just been letting everyone else boss me around like I’m  _ not  _ an Arus Prince.” His attention turned to Keith. “It's not like I’d actually do anything you tell me to do anyway. You're  _ not  _ my prince.” 

“Whatever then,” Keith snapped, waving a hand at Lance. “Roam the castle. Escape and break the treaty. My father would probably kill your father if you did that but-”

“ _ Fuck  _ you, leave my father out of this!” Lance gasped. Stepping forward with fists clenched.  _ No  _ one, messed with his family if he had anything to do with it. “Leave all of my family out of this! You already took me from them, isn't that good enough for you? I'm miserable, are you happy?”

Lance hadn't  _ completely  _ intended to get as real as he had, but he'd done it, and he stood panting with trembling hands. Much to his surprise, Keith didn’t try to fight back. He merely looked stunned. He didn’t shy away from Lance’s threatening advances, although Shiro did attempt to hold a protective arm out. Keith only pushed it back down, his twisting into an unrecognizable expression, “Uh… we… we wouldn't really let my father hurt your father. I’m… sorry.” 

Shiro placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder, “So he's free to do what he wants today, Keith?”

Keith shifted away from the touch, refusing to look at either, “And for however long he wants… he just should check in with me now and then. Or I’ll check in with him. Whatever keeps father off my back.” 

“I'll help you find your way back upstairs,” Shiro offered, and Keith simply began picking up the things Lance had discarded. Lance didn't wait for Shiro, instead hurrying off down the hall. The man still caught up with him. “I’m sorry on behalf of my brother. He… he's an odd case.” 

“He makes me want to shove him off a roof.” 

Shiro snorted in surprise, “Alright, Prince Lance, but just as you'll fight me if I hurt your sister, if you hurt Keith in  _ any _ way, don't expect to be on good terms with me any longer.” 

As they neared a curve in the hall, Lance was glad for Shiro’s presence. The hallway was simple enough to navigate, there was only  _ one  _ hall that curved in a large C shape, but it was easy to miss the staircase to upstairs in the dim corridor. Shiro had to open the door hidden in the shadows before Lance realized they had already reached the exit to head back upstairs. 

“I… really won't ever hurt Mullet,” Lance admitted as they climbed up the winding staircase. “He makes me want to  _ hate  _ him because of what he's doing to me… taking me away from my family. But he's stupid and funny and I kind of like being his rival. It's fun. And partially too because he’s always so angry.”

“Believe it or not, I'm fairly certain my brother likes you as well,” Shiro responded quietly, voice so soft that Lance almost had to stop walking to hear it over their footsteps on the stone. “He doesn't normally jump out the window for people, he could have easily chosen another person. But he went after  _ you.  _ Honestly, despite how he acts, I think he enjoys that you don't treat him like a prince. You don't listen to his demands or kiss the ground he walks on.”

“Yeah, and I probably won't, so…” Lance shrugged. 

As they reached the ground floor, Shiro gave Lance a sideways grin, “As for his anger, I… I think you both are in similar situations. He was forced into this too by our father, and kind of by me? But hear me out on that one, I didn’t want a servant for him. I wanted a friend for him. He doesn’t… he’s really shut himself out from everyone ever since a few years ago when I- well, nevermind about that. He’s just been so distant. He’s always had a quick fuse and he’s always been stubborn, but he used to be a happy kid. It hurts to see my baby brother like this, I feel like it’s my job as his older brother to protect him from that kind of stuff. So just be kind to him, yeah? I’m not saying let him treat you like he did earlier, that was a bit drastic, even if you did strike a nerve when he thought you were both hurting and offending me. We can be a bit defensive of each other, so just call us out if we’re being unjustified. But if you genuinely do upset him or hurt Keith, I’ll for  _ sure  _ make you  _ unarmed  _ if you catch my drift.”

Lance felt the color drain from his face. So, Shiro was a nice guy, but he still definitely scared Lance a little. He understood, however. He was a big brother, too… he knew the extents he’d go to for his younger siblings, and therefore knew Shiro wasn’t fucking around, “Hurt Mullet and I get my arms ripped off… got it.”

“Glad we’re on the same page!” Shiro smiled. “As for  _ your  _ sister and my solemn swear not to hurt her and risk you fighting me, she and your mother and father will be visiting in a week or so to allow me to visit with her more, get to know her better than the short hour we had for our first meeting.”

Lance nearly burst into tears on the spot. Instead, his knees locked up and he had to grab the wall to steady himself. It hadn't even been that long since he had seen them, but he just wanted them to know he was  _ okay,  _ wanted to see that they were okay too, “Really? They're- they're coming here? Will I get to see them?” 

“Of course, I’ll make sure you get plenty of time with them,” Shiro assured. “Keith will keep you updated, alright? But for now, I should go check on my  _ own  _ servant… who is truthfully not a servant, but my best friend, Matt Holt. I promised I’d play chess with him.” 

Lance blinked. The eldest prince certainly needed to give his brother some lessons on how to treat another human being. But Shiro didn't wait around for a response, nor did he offer to show Lance around more. Rather, he gave a curt wave and headed off towards what Lance  _ thought  _ was the great hall. That left Lance to completely explore the castle on his  _ own.  _ He was going to find out  _ so much shit  _ about the weird ass kingdom that was Arus. 

☼

He ended up in the library. He wasn't entirely sure  _ how  _ he had gotten there, but he wasn't complaining. He enjoyed a good book from time to time, and the Arus library was massive _.  _

His first mission was to seek out some form of records, or a written history of some sort. The library was almost vacant, aside from a maid or two dusting, so he was free to roam, running his fingers over book spines and breathing in the oddly soothing smell of old parchment. 

The library was shaped a bit like an oval, the shelves curving with the wall and reaching all the way up from floor to ceiling. So many of the books seemed battered and heavily used, but one section of books highest up, though appearing to be hand bound, looked well taken care of. Lance would bet his limbs that the small section was Arus’ history. 

He was going to  _ get those books.  _ However, there didn't seem to be a single ladder in sight. No wonder the books uptop where in pristine condition, the idiots could never fucking reach them. Lance was simply going to have to scale the bookcase. 

And he did exactly that. It was rather difficult having to cling tightly to the shelves and press his body flat against the books as he climbed. The floor beneath him, luckily, was a thick grey carpeting instead of the usual castle stone. It would soften his fall a bit if he tumbled from the top of the shelf. Probably. 

He was  _ so  _ incredibly close to reaching the books, trying to use his height to his advantage as he stretched out his long arms, fingers splayed in desperate attempt to make contact with the book binding. 

“What the hell- get  _ down  _ from there!”

The voice came so suddenly that Lance gave a startled squawk, abruptly letting go of the shelving only to flail for the brief few seconds it took for him to crash back onto the floor. It was a decent enough fall to knock the wind out of him as he lay sprawled on his back, groaning and squirming in pain. 

“Oh God, I can’t feel my ass. I think I broke my ass.” 

A girl with dark blonde hair chopped to her ears and incredibly round glasses stood above him, glaring down. 

“Are you stupid, or are you stupid?” the girl snapped. “You can't climb shelves, you could have broken them! It takes a shit ton of work to keep this library organized and in check, did you know that?” 

“You're worried about the shelves?” Lance croaked out, finally forcing himself into a sitting position. It was much easier to take in the girl when he was no longer staring up at just her face. She was small, but her shoulders were squared as she scowled at Lance with her hands on her hips. She couldn't have been more than fourteen or fifteen. “Well aren't you precious! What's your name, little girl?” 

She immediately kicked him in the side of the shin, “Fuck you.”

Lance clutched his leg, wheezing out, “What a beautiful name. I’m Lance.”

Pidge’s eyes narrowed at that, “Hmm. Are you the Altean Prince? Because my brother told me about you.” 

The boy struggled to get to his feet, bending his limbs cautiously to ensure that none were truly broken. He hadn't actually intended to proclaim his royal stance. The girl simply reminded him of  _ his  _ younger sisters, someone he didn't feel like he had to try to out best. 

“Uh, yeah, that's me. Who is your brother though? I haven't really met many guys here aside from a few of the servants, but they're usually too busy to stop and chat.”

“I haven't even told you  _ my  _ name yet.” 

Lance chuckled, brushing himself off before dropping down to a knee. He figured hovering over the girl would make her uncomfortable, “Sure you have. It's a pleasure to meet you, Fuck You. Even if you did scare me shitless and nearly kill me."

The girl gave a snort as she pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose, “You're an idiot… I like you already. I’m Katie Holt, but you can call me Pidge.” 

“Aww, like a little pidgeon! It suits you.” 

She frowned at him, “Stand back up to full height so I can kick your ass.” 

“Sorry, sorry, no more remarks about how adorable you are… but you're just so small and endearing,” Lance gave one last coo. Pidge drew her first back, but Lance scrambled back to his feet with his arms lifted in defense. “Okay! I'm done now. So like… what do you do here, Pidge?” 

She sighed, shrugging her shoulders, “Really I just run the library. My brother won't let me help anywhere else until I'm older, but I kind of want to be a blacksmith or something. Matt and I both helped design Prince Shiro’s arm, and we did that when I was nine. Now we just do it whenever he needs a new arm fitted.”

Lance's eyebrows shot up in surprise, “Damn! His arm looked pretty high functioning for metal, too. That's really cool!” 

The girl’s entire face lit up. 

“It's titanium! And then we have it wired so that the muscles flexing in his bicep can send signals to the fingers so that it's fully flexing… with delay still, but we’re working on it. It'd be so cool to figure out a way to get it to move from his  _ brain  _ waves, you know?”

Lance thoroughly enjoyed hearing about it, hearing people talk about things they loved made him oddly happy. He grinned widely, “You're way smarter than me, Pidgeon! Tell me more?” 

“It's Pidge, but yeah, sure!” 

“Whatever you say, Pidgeon.”

Lance would never be able to hold his big brother title if he didn't playfully tease those younger than him. Even so, Lance ended up walking around the library with Pidge and listening to her talk about different types of metals, about wanting to create some kind of light  _ indoors  _ that could be turned on and off with a button. They discussed their siblings, and Lance learned that Pidge was the brother of Matt Holt, who was actually Shiro’s “servant”. Small world. Or... castle. 

Pidge was organizing books as they walked around, and he helped her reach places too high for her small limbs. Lance figured it was safe to say he had found an enjoyable place to hang out during the day. If Mullet wasn't in need of his assistance, he'd hang out with Pidge. A friend was sure as hell going to make the dull castle so much homier than it had previously been. 

But speak of the devil, the dark haired mullet boy himself found them in the far end of the library. 

“There you are, what are you doing to Katie?” Keith huffed, his eyes narrowed suspiciously and his shoulders tense.

“Your highness,” Pidge bowed her head, and Lance frowned. 

“Pidge and I are talking about a bunch of stuff, actually. I'm being her ladder since there's a lack of one in here.” 

“Ah, no, Matt has that actually,” Pidge sighed. “He took it to the stables for something and never brought it back.”

Keith was looking at them with his lips parted in confusion, his brows furrowed, “Wait, like… he's being tolerable to you, Katie?”

“Lance is actually really nice. He makes stupid jokes a lot, but so does Matt, so… yeah. I'm enjoying his company. The library is usually so boring during the day,” Pidge explained sheepishly, before she quickly tacked on, “your highness.” 

“I promise you don't have to address me so formally,” Keith murmured, and his stance relaxed almost instantly. It certainly made him look more approachable when he wasn’t puffing out his chest and glaring at everyone. Even so, he still wore a brooding look. What an angsty guy. “Is it alright if I borrow Lance?”

“Oh. Right. Matt said he was  _ your  _ servant. Yes, of course,” Pidge sighed, but she gave Lance a light punch in the arm. “You better visit me when you can. It's what you get for climbing my shelves.” 

“Girl,” Lance scoffed. “You're not going to be able to get rid of me. I want to know more about the automatic-carriage-thing idea.” 

“Okay!” she beamed, nodding eagerly, whilst Keith simply stared at them like a confused fish, mouth still agape. “See you around, Lance!”

She bowed her head to Keith once more, and then Keith awkwardly shuffled back out of the library and into the stone hallway. Lance was close behind him, snickering to himself, “So far, Mullet, the only person I haven't been able to get along with here is you. Why is that?”

Keith rolled his eyes, shoving Lance away from him slightly, but not harshly. The boy certainly wasn’t being… playful? “Because we hate each other, duh.”

“I'm also guessing you must not know Pidge very well. But I think Shiro said Matt was like his… best friend?”

Keith rubbed at the back of his head almost sheepishly, but he stared at Lance dead on for once with those strange violet eyes of his, “Yeah, but I don't really hang out much with people around the castle. I just keep to myself unless they need my input on stuff. Now. Shiro’s making me pass along the message about your family’s visit, and he says I should drag you along with me for the next few days to show you around the castle.” 

Lance’s eyebrows shot up. The younger prince of Arus didn't seem like the type of guy that generally listened to his brother. He also lowkey wanted to punch Shiro in the arm for throwing him into the line of fire and putting him in charge of cheering Keith up, but he figured he might break his hand on the rock that was Shiro’s bicep, “I do want to know when my family is visiting, yes, but… you're actually going to drag me around with you?”

“If I don't, my father will make me attend other kingdom meetings with him.” 

There it was. Lance  _ knew  _ Keith wasn't going to be so willing to have him around. Prince Mullet seemed to like his solitude. The boy was still in some sort of black under armor that he had been wearing before their spar, cloth that certainly accented that the boy  _ did  _ indeed have muscle to his skin form. 

“Well what if I don't  _ want  _ to follow you around?” Lance teased.

“Then I guess you don't have to,” Keith shrugged. “Listen, I think we got off on the wrong foot. I don't want you here. I don't want a servant. But if I hadn't chosen then Shiro would have and I chose you because you seemed like an asshole that would actively avoid me.  _ I want  _ you to avoid me.”

Lance pursed his lips. It didn't come as a surprise to him, however. It was just like Shiro had said. Keith pushed people away, he didn’t seem to want any friends. And therefore, Lance was going to have to suffer just so Keith could continue to be alone.

But he was suddenly struck with a brilliant amount of genius. If his life was going to suck at the castle, if he would be forced to live somewhere that wasn't his home, then his  _ Prince Mullet  _ wasn't going to get off so easy. He’d kill two birds with one stone. He’d try to become the companion that Shiro wanted for Keith, but he wasn’t going to be the only one making the sacrifice. If Lance was suffering from being taken away, Keith was going to suffer and lose his solitude. Lance was going to become the most  _ attentive  _ person ever. Not a servant… but Keith was going to wish he'd never chosen Lance. Lance was going to  _ become his shadow,  _ be the best fucking friend and person he could be to the other prince.

“Ah, my Prince Mullet,” Lance signed, placing his hand dramatically on his chest as he moved to throw his free arm around Keith’s shoulder. Keith immediately ducked out from under it, hand’s lifted in both alarm and defense.. “I’d be honored to follow you around the next few days. I so look forward to our time together.” 

Keith blinked unknowingly at him.  _ Just you wait, darling Mullet. Just you wait.  _   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also - sorry this fic almost seems to lack in Klance. We're getting there B) Lots more interaction between the two boy-o's.
> 
> OH. And if the formatting is ever weird, like I PROMISE i'm not just careless, but I'm copying and pasting over from google docs and I have to manually fix the spacing anyway, but even if it looks okay to me in the rich text sometimes things get winky wonky. So yes... if there's a paragraph just randomly split in half or weird spacing in a word, blame the formatting that is ao3.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again my friends! Welcome back. I hope there's a bit more Klance in this chapter to fit ya needs! The Klance interaction will only continue to grow. Also, huge thanks again to my fren
> 
>  
> 
> [AllennellA](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllennellA/pseuds/AllennellA)
> 
>  
> 
> for betaing! You da best *insert crying emoji*.

Upon first waking up, it almost felt like a decent morning for Keith. He felt well rested, held no desire to stuff his head back under his pillow or drag himself down to a training room to avoid any “duty” his father or brother might insist that he do. 

In fact, he wasn't even bothered by a servant asking if he wanted breakfast, offering to help him change for the day, or offering to run him some form of bath. It was overall a calming morning, giving him plenty of time to stretch his sleepy limbs in his bed and get his wits about him. Perhaps he’d visit the stables, go out for a ride, head for the mountains instead of the villages. The sun was shining off the dark blue rock of the Arusian earth and filling his room in soft light. If all went well, he good make his good morning a great day. 

He was plotting it all out as he dressed in some of his red horse riding gear, even taking the means to wear the red brooched cloak meant for more social matters. If anything he could use it as a blanket to sit on. And he maybe enjoyed how it felt blowing behind him when he and his horse were at full gallop. 

The plan was to sneak into the kitchen, perhaps persuade one of the ladies tidying up from breakfast to slip him some bread and cheese into his satchel for him. Which, reminded him to grab his satchel from his desk by the window, and then he was pulling his hair from his face and tying it up behind his head. 

He didn't even make it completely out of his room before all plans were ruined, his morning of peace completely crushed. Because Shiro and Prince Lance, goddamn it, were waiting for him against the wall adjacent from his room. Oh yeah.  _ He’d fucking told Lance to follow him around for a few days.  _

The darker skinned boy was not at all dressed for riding. In fact, he was dressed in an outfit that Keith thought was far more elegant than anything he himself even owned. Black boots that came to his knee. White, tight trousers that emphasized  _ just  _ how beautiful Lance’s skin color was, a royal blue bodice and jacket with gold buttons and floral threaded design. Even Lance’s collar was an elegant lace. It was… Lance was gorgeous, from his outfit to his tousled chocolate hair. Which, maybe helped a bit with the fact that Lance had just tossed Keith’s goal of solitude into the breeze. 

“Sleeping Beauty, you slept later than  _ me,”  _ Lance declared, giving the larger man next to him a playful bump with his elbow. He was all bright, teasing eyes, and white teeth. “Shiro here was getting ready to come make sure you were alive.” 

“I was enjoying the  _ quiet, _ ” Keith sighed heavily. “I see that's over now.” 

“Be nice!” Shiro admonished. “Lance here found me this morning and asked if he could help you today. Of course, if you don't want his company, I know father is planning a visit to the kingdom of Krell to negotiate some trades.”

Honestly, Keith could have been behaving far more hostile. The day prior he knew for a fact he’d been wound tight, pissed at his father and his life in general. And then Lance had shown up with Shiro, his lack of serious attitude pissing Keith off further, and had crashed into Keith’s brother and then poked fun at Shiro’s...  _ appearance.  _ So yeah, Keith had kind of been an ass the day before. And yet if he wanted his once good morning to persist, as Shiro always said, patience with Lance would yield focus, would help Keith maintain a less… angry body and mind. 

“He can come with me, I told him he could. But I don't think he’ll want to wear what he has on.”

Keith stared calmly at the blue prince, who glanced down at himself offendedly before shoving his hands onto his slender hips, “And what's wrong with this?”

“I'm going horseback riding,” Keith lifted an eyebrow. “You'll sweat to death.”

Lance sighed as if he were deeply troubled, but his blue eyes were still playful, “Fine. But I’m keeping the boots. Wait for me here while I change, please. Shiro, make him wait? I’ll be back.”

As Lance walked, or rather flaunted, off, Keith looked to Shiro pleadingly. His brother simply shook his head and flashed a pleasant smile. Truly it could have been worse. Lance was probably… a better option than most people who could have accompanied him. Still, Shiro’s smugness over the situation was irking. Big brothers could be the fucking worst. 

“I think you guys will have a really good time. It'll be good bonding.” 

“Fuck bonding,” Keith groaned. “Shiro, I can make friends all on my own and on my own time. I'll get around to… spending time with Lance.”

“Keith…” Shiro’s smile fell. “Please. Give it a chance at least?”

His brother crossed the hall, closing the distance between them to lean against the wall next to Keith. He gently nudged Keith’s hand with his own… with his prosthetic, and Keith immediately fucking knew he couldn't crush his brother’s wishes, strong headed as he was. 

“Damn it,” he let his head thud back against the stone, which truthfully wasn't the best idea. “I'll be friendly today, okay? Happy?”

Almost immediately his brother perked back up like a damn praised dog, “Thanks, buddy! I really look forward to hearing about your day when you guys get back.” 

Keith listened to Shiro remind him of all the shitty things he was getting out of by going horseback riding with Lance, tasks that  _ Shiro  _ was going to ever so lovingly do for his favorite little brother. 

“I'm your  _ only _ little brother.”

“Which just makes you even better!”

Eventually, after what felt like ages, Lance was finally strolling back down the corridor. He actually had kept the boots, which were far more common when riding than Keith’s shin high boots, but Lance had changed into dark grey riding breeches with a navy blue jacket and pressed white collared shirt. The lace wasn't done away with, however, and Lance had copied Keith’s idea of a cloak, his just happened to be white with a blue brooch. 

“Thanks for waiting,” Lance announced pleasantly, leaning himself against the wall behind Shiro. He did, however, keep himself pressed forward with an elbow so he could wink at Keith. “It takes time to look this beautiful.”

“Don't flirt with me,” Keith deadpanned. He  _ refused  _ to admit that Lance  _ still  _ did look stunning, and that his little wink had made Keith’s heart give an unwanted spasm. 

His brother snorted, nudging Lance back and away from his flirtatious advances. It wasn't unknown to Shiro that if Keith had any sort of romantic preference at all, it often was directed towards males. In fact, he was the  _ only  _ one Keith had ever confided in about it, as their father wouldn't have taken such news with an open mind. Under his rule, there was law that a homoromantic relationship in their kingdom was a crime punishable by a dungeon sentence, or an exiling where one was simply run out of town and left defenseless in the wilderness. 

Shiro tried to insist that their father would never do that to Keith, that if he ever even tried Shiro wouldn't allow it to happen. But Keith had a hunch that family blood wouldn't stop their father from punishing him. Regardless, Shiro had assured Keith from the young age of nine, upon his confession, that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the feelings he felt, and that loving a man was no different in morals from loving a woman. 

Keith was immediately snapped out of his momentary gay crisis by Shiro’s hand on his shoulder. 

“I’ll be sending one of the guards with you two, however,” Shiro announced. “He’ll wait for you at the stables.” 

That was  _ not  _ part of the deal. Despite being a prince, Keith hardly ever had to take guards with him in their own kingdom. He never went anywhere where he would  _ need  _ guards, he kept well away from the town and he could handle wildlife on his own. 

“No you won't be, we don't need a guard.” 

Keith stepped away from the wall, puffing out his chest and trying to stand higher to be eye to eye with Shiro. Damn his brother’s height and build. 

Shiro looked sympathetic, but he glanced to Lance, who was smirking a shit eating grin at Keith’s attempts to be taller.  _ He fucking would; despite his lankiness, he was more or less Shiro’s height.  _ “It’s… just a precautionary measure.” 

“What, like blue boy here is going to kill me?” Keith scoffed.

With pursed lips, Shiro shrugged, “Well…”

“Excuse me!” Lance gasped, clutching his chest in an act of offense. 

“I’d kill him first!” Keith insisted. 

“ _ Excuse you!”  _

Lance’s voice had shot almost comically high, and Shiro finally gave a bark of laughter, “Both of you calm down! It's to keep you from killing  _ each other. _ ”

The Altean Prince still wore a pout, but he had moved to stand beside Keith. So close, actually, that Keith could smell whatever sort of oil he’d doused himself in to smell like oranges and… perhaps grass, if Keith remembered the smell of grass correctly. 

“I’m a lover, not a murderer,” Lance held his hand up in oath. “I'm here to, uh, serve Prince Mullet- Prince Keith.”

“Convincing,” Shiro spoke dryily. “The guard will meet you at the stables. I'm headed to see father off, so Keith if you’d like to join me for that then-”

Keith all but grabbed Lance and shoved the boy ahead. Nope, definitely not doing whatever Shiro was preparing to suggest. The taller prince, of course, spluttered in alarm, but Keith kept pushing, both of his hands pressed to Lance’s sharp shoulder blades. 

“We’re leaving. Don't follow.”

Eventually Lance got the hint, letting Keith take the lead to trail behind him. 

☼ 

“The… kitchen?” Lance asked what felt like the twentieth question he had asked during the walk from the royal chambers hall to the first floor kitchen.

_ “Is the entire castle this dimly lit?” _

_ “Basically.” _

_ “Have you ever thought about breaking out some places for windows?” _

_ “I don't know, I don't manage castle upkeep.”  _

_ “Are you pale from green food deficiency, or do you just hate the sun?” _

_ “Lance!”  _

_ Patience, Keith. _ Lance was being obnoxious, but he was treating Keith like a normal human being rather than royalty. 

“I planned on talking one of the cooks into sneaking me… us… some food for the ride,” Keith explained, pulling out the satchel he had stored behind his cloak. “I just don't see many people to talk to in here.”

Blue eyes lit up at that, and Lance’s mouth twisted into a half smile as he gave what was evidently the most flirtatious wink he could manage, “Allow me to win the hearts of these beautiful ladies. I’ll get us food in less than-” 

There was little time for Keith to judge Lance’s spiel, because from the back of the kitchen, a large boy had immediately caught his attention. He was more than likely only a year or two older, but he was broad with a heavy build. Far thicker than Shiro, even, but without the slender torso. This boy, clutching a large butcher’s knife in one hand and wiping his free hand on the apron he wore, was approaching them directly behind an unknowing Lance’s back. 

“-a minute-”

Lance spun on his heel in that moment, crashing straight into the stomach and chest of the knife wielding boy. He emitted what could only be a startled cry, and had Keith not had one hand on his own blade he would have righted the boy out of reflex. 

But instead, a tanned beefy hand caught Lance’s slender wrist and stopped him from toppling into Keith. 

“Oh, sorry- but you really shouldn't be in here,” the boy turned only slightly to stab his knife into the wooden meat cutting block beside him. “Are you two new here, too?” 

Keith was utterly speechless. It's not that he wanted to be recognised as the prince. In fact, he  _ didn't  _ want to be recognized. But to not have someone know of him at all was a rarity. And Keith was never really any good at social matters anyway, could never hold pleasant conversation or small talk with a total stranger. 

Lance, on the other hand, gave a small bow, a hand on his chest, “My apologies as well! I'm Lance of Altea. This is Prince Keith of Arus. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance… what is your name, friend?”

Almost immediately the larger boy was turning bright red, spluttering out even more apologies and bowing profusely, “Oh  _ Prince  _ Lance? Prince Keith? Your majesties? Your highnesses? I had no idea, I am so sorry! I didn't even recognize my own prince, I can't believe I-”

In all honesty it was a disaster, and Keith wanted to turn around and scramble straight back out of the room. He could find another person to con food off of. Awkward situations and flustered people were not in his expertise, and he was in fact prepared to bolt and leave Lance to fend for himself, but Lance was even smoother than Keith knew possible. 

His tawny hand settled on the panicked boy’s shoulder, “Hey, it's alright… it's okay, we’re all friends here. Formalities aren't required with us, I swear on my hair… and let me tell you, I would never risk such a delicate thing. What was your name?”

“I'm Hunk, and I’m new here in this castle, and I swear I just wanted to get started on lunch without having to tidy up again, I shouldn't have tried kicking out  _ princes-” _ the boy, Hunk evidently, was still rambling, his big hands moving a mile a minute as he spoke. 

A bony elbow in his ribs had Keith scowling at Lance before Lance flashed him a wide and warm smile, clearly insisting he follow suit, “Don't mind Prince Mullet. He may look kind of grumpy, bit I’m discovering that that's just his face.”

Lance looked to Keith insistently, perhaps waiting for confirmation of some sort. Keith swallowed hard, “Uh… if you made dinner yesterday, it was really good?” 

“Oh yeah!” Lance turned back to Hunk. “It was fantastic. I've never had lamb so tender.”

Despite the situation, Keith was of course grateful for Lance’s… charm. But it was slightly infuriating, it was  _ his  _ idea and  _ his  _ home, so he should have been the one to score the food. The competitive urging in the back of Keith’s mind was flaring wildly. 

Hunk was still blushing, but he was clearly less tense. A cramping in his fingers helped Keith realize that he should  _ probably  _ let go of the knuckle tight grip he’d grasped onto his blade handle. 

“That was partially me… I only started here about a week or ago, so I’m not really head chef yet. I would love to be! But I’m not.” 

With a surprised gasp, Lance gave Hunk a gentle nudge on the shoulder, “Hey, Buddy, I got here about a week ago, too! I was forced- er… chosen… to be Keith’s like servant or friend or something. He doesn't make it easy to be either.” 

Keith couldn't fight the eye-roll as he dryly huffed, “Yeah, yeah. We’re rivals, you're annoying and I'm a grumpy asshole.”

“At least you're well aware,” Lance agreed. “Anyway. Hunk, my guy, would you want to hang out sometime? When you have free time you should come up to the library and bother the worker with me. Her names Pidge. She’ll probably make you carry books but you look like a strong fellow.”

“Oh,” Hunk looked awestruck to have been invited. “Yeah… sure… buddy?”

“Buddy!” Lance confirmed gleefully. In less than two weeks, Lance had befriended more people than Keith had managed in five years… and it strangely bothered Keith. If Lance could do shit like that then he could. Lance  _ wasn't _ better than him. “Ah, but also, not to like, abuse our newfound friendship? But Mullet and I are going horseback riding and we kind of need some food for the trip. Got any of that leftover lamb?”

Hunk smiled largely at that, “I've got that and more!”

And if Keith had been alone, he more than likely would have just settled with meat and cheese, even just bread, but Hunk wrapped up a good few slabs of lamb, bread, cheese, and even placed small little containers of pudding along with their meal, all of which he delicately organized into Keith’s satchel. Lance chatted to him the entire time, discussing their family, discussing favorite foods… Keith stood quietly by and practically bored holes into the side of Lance’s head with his gaze. 

Keith wanted to know his fucking secret. When they first met, he'd called Keith’s family a bunch of halfwits and jumped out the window. Sure, since then he'd been rather tolerable, but Keith took it more as snark than friendliness.  _ Surely  _ the friendly behavior to a stranger was an act? Not that Keith himself wouldn't have been friendly, he would have tried his damndest. The chef Hunk seemed like a really nice guy. But Keith couldn't handle it sometimes, he couldn't handle people bowing to him, calling him  _ your highness.  _ It was what he was born into, but it had never been what he wanted. Even as a small child he had stood slightly behind Shiro and his father and let them do all the talking. 

Lance had brushed all of the awkward formality immediately, had gotten on a personal level with this guy in a matter of minutes, but he had done it gracefully. Keith needed to  _ learn that sort of trade _ . He refused to let Lance beat him like that, it pissed him off. But it also bothered him even more that he  _ was  _ angry about it. 

“Thanks so much for lunch, Hunk,” Lance was beaming, and he delicately scooped up the satchel to deposit on Keith. “Do you live here in the castle?”

“You're welcome, your highness-”

“Call me Lance, buddy o pal!” 

“Lance,” Hunk laughed. “I do live in the castle. Up on the servants floor.” 

“Holy hell!” Lance all but squawked, and he grabbed Hunk’s arms in a way that Keith found all too forward. He gave Lance’s cloak a slight tug backward mindlessly, like he would do to Shiro. Unlike Shiro, who would have asked what Keith needed, Lance only gave him a startled look before continuing to gush to Hunk. “I'm on that floor too! Fourth door on the left!”

“I'm sixth on the right!”

“I'll come visit tonight after dinner?” Lance asked. 

“Yeah, that sounds nice!” Hunk agreed, and Lance held out a hand to shake on it. 

Finally Hunk walked them to the kitchen exit, “It was nice to meet you Lance! And… Keith?”

“Keith or Mullet,” Lance offered immediately. “Right Mullet?” 

Keith elbowed Lance out of the way, the slight irritation had him completely forgetting any sort of nervousness. Lance didn't get to tell people what to call him, Keith was his own person. “Call me Keith. It was really nice to meet you, too, Hunk. I really hope you're enjoying it here in the kitchen. We’ll see you later?”

It wasn't until they were headed down the corridor and toward the castle entrance before he realized he'd been friendly  _ and  _ unawkward.  _ Take that Lance, I can be charming too.  _ Lance had started up his questions again, walking beside Keith with his hands waving about, but the taller prince also brought up the previous conversation. 

“It’s nice to know you're not hostile to  _ every  _ new person you meet. Unlike with our first meeting, you didn't tackle Hunk! Even if you  _ did  _ think about stabbing him when he came over to us with that butcher knife,” Lance simply waved a hand at Keith’s spluttering response. “Don't act like you weren't reaching for your blade, I  _ saw  _ you, Mullet.”

“Don't make me reach for it again,” Keith warned, but there was little threat behind his words. Lance only scrunched his nose. 

“Like you could  _ catch  _ me again.” 

“I'll race you to the barn, you shit face,” Keith declared, but without waiting for an answer he bolted off down the hall. 

“Wait, what the fuck? I don't even know where the barn is!” Lance screeched behind him, and Keith gave a hiss of a laugh as he dashed past a startled maid, his cloak flying behind him. It wasn't like Lance could beat him  _ anyway.  _

_ ☼ _

Lance was actually so close behind Keith, that he smashed flat into Keith’s back as Keith slid to an abrupt halt a good hundred yards from their barn. It sent both boys toppling, Lance crashing down on Keith’s back and pinning him to the hard blue stone. 

“Fuck- ow, sorry, ow-” Lance rolled off immediately, and both boys struggled to their feet. “Definitely wasn't expecting you to stop.” 

“Regardless I beat you.”

“Because you cheated!”

“No one likes a sore loser.”

“The next time you stop in front of me I might just tackle you on  _ purpose-” _

It wasn't that he had planned to stop and make Lance crash into, but rather down by the barn was in fact the guard that Shiro had promised, “Just stop talking for s second. He actually got us a guard. This is bullshit.” 

“Guess it is my turn to tackle you outside of  _ your  _ barn, huh?” Lance snorted, clearly not listening. Instead, he had picked up the satchel that had snapped off Keith’s shoulder and peeked in to check on their lunch. 

“Can you be serious for like two seconds?” Keith huffed,  pulling the tie from his hair so he could fix what had been mussed up. Lance was clearly fascinated by it, but then the boy shook his head slightly. 

“Serious. Fine. Do you want to like… escape the guard?” Lance asked. 

It had Keith slightly stunned that Lance seemed to know exactly what he was already plotting. 

“We’re gonna run in, grab horses, and just… bolt. Got it? The faster the better.” 

“No!” Lance grabbed Keith’s elbow, and Keith frowned at the touch, but he didn't pull away. “Rashness doesn't solve much. A calmer plan is better. We act like we plan to let this dude come with us, yeah? But we’ll make him choose a horse last or something after we already have ours out, and then we lock him in a horse stall.” 

Keith blinked slowly at Lance, running through it all in his mind. It was actually a good idea, one that he should have come up with on his own. He had half a mind still to deny Lance and act out his own plan. It  _ would  _ work, Keith was fast. It was simply Lance that would probably drag them down. Probably. So he shrugged, “Not a bad idea. We can try.”

“Just call me the master escapist,” Lance winked. “I’m a pro at getting out of situations I don't want to be in.”

“I'm definitely not calling you that.”

As they walked toward the barn, Lance grumbled about how boring the blue rock under their feet was. It certainly wasn't Altea’s lush grass, but Keith didn't mind it as much. The flowers that sprouted up through cracks reminded him things could keep growing in even the toughest spots. And, of course, if the kingdoms joined together, he could see much more grass. 

The guard waiting for them near the barn was a few inches taller than Lance, and therefore a good head taller than Keith. He had bright red hair and a well groomed mustache, and he bowed his head in respect as the two approached, a gloved hand resting over his chest. 

“Your highness. I have already prepared your horse for you inside the barn,” the man informed him. “I am Coran, second in command of the guard. I do hope I can provide you with the utmost security.”

Shiro fucking  _ would  _ send him the second best guard they had. He probably would have sent the goddamn first had the guard not already been accompanying their father. 

Lance leaned in, shielding his mouth and muttering to Keith, “What a nutjob…”

“I did indeed hear that, young sprite. Please keep your comments to yourself. You'll have to choose your own horse, and then we’ll be off as quick as a young doe!”

Keith bit back his smirk. Less so over Lance getting scolded, but over the fact that he wasn't alone in thinking that their  _ guard  _ seemed like a raving lunatic. 

As Coran stepped aside, Keith lifted the latch on the barn door to open it wide. They had to squint to let their eyes adjust to the dimness inside, but Keith could already feel a sense of calm just from the smell that greeted him. Horses, hay, grains, and leather. Ever since he was a child Keith had adored the barn. And to make things better, Keith’s gaze fell on the liver-chestnut thoroughbred tacked and waiting for him near the stall. His  _ favorite  _ horse in literally the entire world. 

Lance was suddenly brushing past him with a gasp, walking with an outstretched hand, “What a handsome boy!” 

And before Keith could utter a warning, Lance reached the horse. He instantly had a large head against his chest and was being shoved over flat onto his back. 

Keith couldn't help it. He laughed. He laughed so hard, he had to bend over and put his hands on his knees as tears streamed down his face. Lance had long since scrambled backward across the floor and was glaring at the smug looking horse, sitting directly in front of Keith’s feet. 

“Haven't been around horses much?” Keith gasped out through his laughter, wiping at his eyes with his palms. “That was the best thing I’ve seen in a long time.”

“I ride horses all the time! You  _ ride him?  _ He looks like he hates everything, look at him glaring at me!” Lance pointed an accusing finger, earning a snort from his newest enemy. 

Finally, Keith was able to pull himself together enough to step around the boy on the floor and walk palm out towards his favorite  _ girl _ , “For one, he's a she. And her name is Red.” 

Red, of course, welcomed Keith with a gentle nicker, pushing her nose against his palm and shifting her weight towards him with a soft sigh. She never failed to make Keith smile, and he rubbed the soft skin of her nose as she began sniffing him out for any sort of treat. 

“I guess it makes sense that the grumpy gang gets along,” Lance huffed as he struggled to his feet, dusting off his cloak. “Or is it just me that she hates?” 

The horse had given up on the treats, or perhaps remembered Keith would have to retrieve one from the food stall. Instead she had moved on to nuzzling his hair, the occasional gooey tongue licking and nibbling the dark strands.

Keith gave her large head a gentle hug, “She doesn't  _ hate  _ you, she's probably just pissed that you called her a boy. She's eighteen years old, I’ve had her since I was four.” 

“She's two years younger than me. Which means she can't boss me around,” Lance announced, and Red gave a stomp of her back hoof as if she knew exactly what he was talking about. 

“Even if she's younger than us, we still respect her. In  _ her  _ years, she's older than us,” Keith informed him. “Now find the horse you want and try not to get on its bad side.”

Lance gave Keith and Red a wide berth, dust floating up with each wide step he took. Red certainly was eying the other prince, her tail swishing in irritation at him. Lance peered in each stall, his lips pursed thoughtfully, clearly being ignored by each horse until finally a grey nose was shoving itself into Lance’s face. 

“Ah, finally a lady who recognizes good looks,” Lance murmured as he narrowly avoided a tongue to the mouth, but then his eyes narrowed into the stall. “This is a lady, right? She's going in for a smooch.”

The boy was certainly full of lines that had Keith torn between rolling his eyes and hurting his ribs with laughter. So far, his outing with Lance wasn't… terrible. Out of all other people he could have been forced to bring along, he was beginning to think Lance was the best choice. 

Keith left Red’s side momentarily to join Lance in front of the horse stall. Inside was a blue-roan quarter horse, one Keith recognized as being new to the stable, “I don't really know much about this one. Maybe you should choose a gentler horse just in case?” 

And it wasn't because he was worried for Lance’s safety or anything. Definitely not. 

“Hey, I didn't choose her,” Lance announced. “She chose me. Does she have a name? It's probably super original like Red, huh? Is it Blue?”

With an unamused look, Keith unlatched the stall, “No, I don't think she's been named. I don't even know if she's broken in-”

Lance forced himself into the stall regardless, cautious to avoid the horse’s rear, “Where can I find a bridle? Her name is Blue and she's going to be my best friend.”

Much to Keith’s surprise, the newly named _Blue_ stood tethered just outside her stall and allowed Lance to flit all around her and tack her up. Keith half expected Lance to ask for tacking help, but for the most part Lance truly did seem to know what he was doing. It was strangely calming, listening to the gentle blows Blue was emitting as Lance chattered away to her, even lowering her head for him to fit her bridle with a careful gentleness. Keith stood by Red and leaned into her gently, let her nuzzle at his shirt as he slipped her a few clumped pieces of sugar he retrieved from the feed stall.  

It was peaceful. Warm and sunny, but a soft breeze that whisked straw across the wooden floorboards kept them cool. 

And then Coran joined them in the barn. All peacefulness quickly was gone, replaced with the man’s booming voice. 

“What beauties this barn holds! I remember my old mare from my childhood, why, I would ride her all over the kingdom,” the man mumbled, his eyes closed as he twiddled his mustache between two fingers. 

Both boys shared a look as Lance finished strapping the saddle onto Blue, and then he cautiously untethered her and led her over near Red. 

“They're not gonna, uh… bicker or fight, right?” Lance asked cautiously, putting himself in between Red and Blue in a way that was… kind of endearing. He hardly knew the mare, and yet he was prepared to shield her from harm. 

“Red generally gets along with other horses,” Keith assured, his mouth quirking up in the corners. “But just because Blue let you tack her up doesn't necessarily  mean she’ll let you ride her, so I’d test-”

Lance shook his head, stepping toward Keith with an outstretched hand, “I trust her. Now,  _ my prince mullet…  _ your horse awaits.”

Keith looked at the offered hand as if it were a snake, “What are you doing?”

“Being a servant. You hired me for this, remember?” his voice was pleasant, but his face was smug. He knew  _ exactly  _ what he was doing. 

“Yeah, don't,” Keith snorted, and he pushed the hand away and hefted himself up, one foot in the stirrup while the other swung over Red, into the saddle. 

Lance shrugged idly, looking to where Coran was still mindlessly rambling, “Hey, oh wise Coran… our knight, if you will?” 

All the buttering up left Coran looking flattered, and Keith immediately caught on to where Lance was headed as  Coran smiled at the blue prince, “At your service, young one.”

Keith had to admit, it troubled him a bit that Coran either didn't know Lance was a prince as well, or couldn't be bothered by it. Regardless, Lance didn't seem to mind at all, and Keith would have never spoken out about such a thing anyway. Lance simply pointed into Blue’s stall, “You seem like a very wise gentleman. Do you think you could show me how this stall latches from the inside?” 

“Why of course!”

It shouldn't have worked. Red was shifting impatiently under Keith, eager to head out, and Keith was just stunned that Lance was genuinely tricking a grown ass man into a horse stall by asking to be shown how to  _ latch  _ it. Coran willingly walked inside, shutting the stall behind him and latching it. 

Most of the stalls in the barn had heavy doors with windows only big enough for the horse’s head and neck to poke out, the entire top was closed off unless opened separately. That latch, however, was well out of reach, and the door latch to the outside was far lower to prevent the wiser horses, like Red, from using their teeth to open the stall door. Which meant as soon as Coran was inside, babbling about how the latch inside was much like the latch outside aside from requiring a bit more fiddling, that Lance could easily lean down and latch both the top stall door and the bottom. 

“I promise I'm a nice guy,” Lance mumbled to the rambling man, and then he was scrambling onto Blue. The horse didn't protest, rather she shot forward upon Lance’s nudging her, and Keith heard him shout once more as they flew past. “I hope someone finds you Coran, but if not we’ll be back in a few hours!” 

And then Keith was following suit, tightening his knees to coax Red into a trot and then a gallop.  A breathless laugh escaped his throat as they too flew from the barn, past Lance and Blue as the two were headed for the rocky hills away from town, and took the lead. 

☼

There was a nice river that ran several miles away from the castle, where the closest thing to grass there could be sprung up from the blue rock. The good thing about the lack of real grass was the lack of dirt, which made the steady flow of water iridescently clear. A stray trout could be spotted in the water from time to time, and Keith’s favorite place was beneath a single large tree that stretched out over the river. 

Despite it being a secret place of his, it's where he led Lance. They tethered Blue and Red under the tree after giving them a long drink and a good rub down, and they themselves settled into the shade to avoid the high noon sun. They sprawled their cloaks out on the ground and Keith dug out his satchel, placing out the wrapped food items while Lance drank water in handfuls from the river. 

Once they both had settled down, Lance sprawled out on his back with a piece of lamb tucked in his cheek. Keith sat cross legged, slicing bread with his blade, and he cleared his throat, “So uh… I can’t believe you actually tricked a grown man into a horse stall.”

Keith probably could have done it too if he wanted. Coran was probably just gullible. Yeah. Keith wasn't going to let it bug him too much, it shouldn't have been a competition. 

“Oh my god,” Lance nearly choked on his lamb, and he had to sit up to avoid coughing up a lung as he laughed. Keith chuckled as well, offering Lance a piece of bread as the boy pushed his hair away from his sweaty forehead. “I felt so bad, but… can you imagine if he was here right now? We probably wouldn't be able to hear the stream over him at all.”

“Honestly, I thought  _ you  _ talked too much until that guy came along.” 

Lance shrugged unashamedly, “I'm a loud fellow, you can't shame me, grumpy pants.” 

“Hey, I've been…  _ less  _ grumpy,” Keith admonished. “I could have locked you in a horse stall, too, but I didn't.” 

A tan hand thrust a piece of lamb into his face, “And I could have trampled you with a horse but I didn't.”

“Seems like we’re at a truce, then,” Keith scoffed, accepting the ham he was offered. 

“Sure, sure. Doesn't mean I can't totally kick your butt in swimming across the river after we eat.”

Keith could never turn down a challenge, “You're on.”

Lance ended up winning the swimming race, efficiently triggering the angry competitor inside Keith. So, if course, he challenged Lance to a race he  _ knew  _ he'd win. Red and Keith still beat Lance and Blue in a race to the top of the valley and back. Lance, like Keith, couldn't seem to take losing with a grain of salt. It only led to another competition of climbing the tree near the river. 

Lance could perhaps climb the tree a bit faster: 

_ “Your legs and arms are longer you fuckwit!”  _

_ “That sounds like something a mullet-headed loser would say!” _

_ “I swear to God, I'll stab you, still.”  _

What would have been a day of relaxation and solitude for Keith had turned into an adrenaline-full day of rivalry and competition… but it was a rivalry that felt warm in both a friendly way and a heavily competitive way. It was a rough feeling, and there was genuine anger on both parts, but it felt  _ good  _ for Keith to unleash all the pent up energy he couldn't get out during training. He hated to say it, but he was  _ enjoying  _ Lance’s company. 

So much so, he hardly realized that the whole day had passed until the sun, and therefore it's light, was slipping behind the blue mountains in the distance. 

The two were sprawled out on the rock with their still slightly damp clothes, as Lance rambled on about his family. 

“Allura is a lot like Shiro, I think. Protective, but at the same time she's like me in the fact that she’ll sass you straight into your grave. She can put  _ me  _ to shame when it comes to beauty, she's gorgeous. Don't tell her I said that. Then there's my six younger siblings, Marzia and Marcus, they're seventeen and have the whitest hair There's Hope, she’s fifteen and will probably be taller than me,” Lance was scrubbing his hands over his face, his voice growing softer. “Diego is thirteen, he's the fastest little shit I've ever met. Ricardo is twelve and looks almost exactly like me,  _ and  _ is always challenging me to comperuptions. Leilani is the youngest, she's only nine. She's a really hard worker though and is probably way more responsible than I am.”

“That's a  _ lot  _ of siblings,” Keith murmured, suddenly feeling super nervous at the tenseness radiating off of Lance. “Shiro is my best friend, but seven siblings is… that's a lot of people purposely trying to get on your nerves.” 

“You're the younger sibling, you probably get on Shiro’s nerves.” 

“I  _ know  _ I do,” Keith snorted. 

“I bet he could really smack the heck out of you with his prosthetic,” Lance cackled. 

Keith shot up into a sitting position, his stomach instantly churning. He  _ knew  _ Lance was just kidding around, Lance didn't mean harm, but he  _ hated  _ when people talked about Shiro’s… arm. 

“Don't,” he managed to mumble out. “Don't talk about that.” 

Lance turned a bright red, sitting up as well, “It was- sorry, I was  _ joking  _ but-”

“If we don't go back now Shiro really will kick both of our asses,” Keith changed the subject. “It's getting dark and Coran still might be locked in the horse stall.” 

Keith didn't leave any room for further conversation, quick to gather everything up and stuff it to the best of his ability in his satchel. Lance tried to lighten back up the mood as they let Red and Blue get one last drink, but Keith was anxious and just wanted to head back to his quiet room. 

The ride back was far less riveting than the ride to the river. They kept a leisurely trot to beat the sunset, and Lance trailed behind mainly talking to Blue and telling her how good of friends they were going to be, letting her know he was going to give her so many treats back at the barn. 

Seeing the light fading out over the blue rock was gorgeous, hues of pink and orange illuminating the peaks. It made the rock around them seem to glow in the dimming light, and Keith simply wished he could settle his heart rate back down, wished the talk of Shiro’s arm didn't have to get him so worked up. And yet…

However, neither boy expected to be greeted at the opening of the barn by a stone faced Shiro. The man’s arms were crossed over his chest, his eyes narrowing in on Keith the moment Keith slid off Red to walk her the rest of the way. 

Lance followed suit, oblivious to Keith’s brother’s fury, “Evening, Shiro!” 

“Lance, give me the horse and go back to the castle,” Shiro spoke low and quiet, but extremely firm. 

Keith huffed, “Let him untack Blue. They claimed each other or something and are apparently best friends.” 

That certainly wasn't cutting it for the eldest prince, “You two  _ locked  _ Coran in a horse stall and  _ went against  _ my request that I put there for your safety! Either of you could have been killed!” 

“By  _ what,  _ Shiro? We aren't going to kill each other and I don't think anything else could bother us.” 

“ _ I worry for a reason, Keith, you know this!”  _ Shiro’s voice rarely escalated above a loud talking, but he was bordering on yelling. 

Lance had immediately realized, by the rising tones, that conflict was in place, and he had scurried into the barn with Blue. Keith surprisingly didn't even have it in him to argue with his brother, sighing heavily and walking up to Shiro to hand over the satchel. 

“Lance and I literally just went for a horseback ride and a picnic of sorts. I didn’t want Lance there at first, and I really didn't want Coran, so we locked him up and I swear we planned on coming back sooner to get him out. But we kind of lost track of time having competitions where I kicked Lance’s ass and talking and stuff so…” 

Just as Keith hoped, Shiro’s face softened a bit, “So… you enjoyed Lance’s company then?”

“I guess...” 

Yeah… he really had. Maybe? Lance was… Lance was annoying and stupidly charming, and it made Keith feel… inferior. He shouldn't have felt that way, Lance surely didn't have intentions to make him feel that way. Lance was just a good prince. Just like Shiro. And Keith… Keith wasn't like that.  A large reasoning behind not wanting to be a prince was the fact that Keith could never seem to excel at it, and he  _ loathed  _ the feeling of defeat. 

Shiro sighed heavily, scratching at the back of his head, “Well I’m glad you had a good time, but… I'm still in charge when father goes away, and you really did put yourself in far more danger than necessary going against my orders, so… as punishment Lance is going to have to hang out with you a lot more.” 

Keith only rolled his eyes, “You literally worry more about me than our own father.” 

“That's not true,” Shiro disagreed, but he pulled Keith into a playful headlock… or, he did until Red nudged him away with her head. “Ah, sorry girl. I wasn't hurting your favorite boy, we’re on the same side, remember? I forgot Keith would have  _ you  _ there as a guard.” 

“Yeah,” Keith agreed immediately. “Red knocked Lance flat on his ass the moment they met. She wouldn't have let him or anyone else hurt me.” 

“Alright, alright…” his brother finally held his hands up. “Doesn't mean you're not in trouble still, but I'll let you finish up here, and then you should really come eat dinner and apologize to Coran.” 

Keith shrugged in response, finally free to lead Red into the barn to take off her tack and brush her down. Inside the darkening barn, illuminated by a few lanterns that Shiro must have lit for them, Lance was feeding Blue sugar and kissing her long nose. 

“You're the most gorgeous lady I’ve seen in my life! And so  _ smart,  _ too, you knew right where the good stuff was in here. I didn't even know sugar was in there.” 

It was making Keith’s heart give a strange flopping sensation, one that was maybe… anxiety? Keith didn’t know, but the more he watched Lance gush over and praise Blue, the stronger it grew. So instead, he turned and pressed his reddening face against Red’s neck and started giving his own special girl some adoration. 

Just, the dwindling reminder of lots more time with Lance wasn’t really calming the odd feeling in his chest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once more! If you see any weird errors that aren't grammatical, but like spacing? I entirely blame ao3. I copy and paste over from GDocs and I have to fix the spacing so it's not huge, and it may end up looking normal in the text box but then I post and it wonks it up. Heck. Soooo yeah. My apologies for anything weird.


End file.
